Formation of Scattered LAPSUS$ Hunters Cybercriminal Alliance
Scattered Spider, LAPSUS$, and ShinyHunters have merged to form a new cybercriminal collective known as Scattered LAPSUS$ Hunters (SLH), launching in early August 2025. This alliance operates as a federated entity, leveraging the reputations and operational tactics of its constituent groups to offer Extortion-as-a-Service (EaaS) to affiliates. The group has used Telegram as its primary platform for coordination, public announcements, and brand-building, frequently recreating channels to evade platform moderation. SLH has also established data leak sites on both the clear web and the dark web to publish proof-of-compromise materials and intimidate victims, including organizations using Salesforce.
The collective is closely associated with the broader cybercriminal milieu known as "The Com," which is characterized by fluid collaboration and brand-sharing among threat actors. SLH's emergence marks a deliberate attempt to consolidate influence and amplify the impact of extortion campaigns by uniting well-known cybercrime brands. The group has also displayed affiliations with other clusters such as CryptoChameleon and Crimson Collective, further expanding its operational reach and narrative. The adoption of a centralized "Operations Centre" label on Telegram posts projects an image of organizational legitimacy, enhancing the group's ability to market its services and attract affiliates.
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How this story unfolded
3 events from the most recent confirmed update back to the earliest known activity.
Trustwave publicly documents the SLH alliance
Trustwave published research describing SLH as a federated cybercriminal brand and extortion-as-a-service supergroup, linking it to personas associated with ShinyHunters and highlighting its blend of technical capability, social engineering, and performative branding. The report characterized the core operation as being run by a very small number of individuals.
SLH launches Telegram-based extortion and publicity infrastructure
Beginning in August 2025, SLH created at least 16 Telegram channels to coordinate operations, market its services, and publicize claims. The group used Telegram as its primary platform to intimidate victims, attract affiliates, and quickly recover from channel takedowns.
Scattered LAPSUS$ Hunters emerges as a federated cybercrime alliance
In August 2025, Scattered LAPSUS$ Hunters (SLH) emerged as a new alliance consolidating the operations and branding of Scattered Spider, ShinyHunters, and LAPSUS$. The group adopted a federated model centered on extortion, data theft, and high-profile cybercriminal branding.
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Scattered Spider, LAPSUS$, and ShinyHunters form extortion alliance
scworld.com
Open sourceCybercrime merger: Scattered Spider, LAPSUS$, and ShinyHunters
cyberbit.com
Open sourceTrustwave Confirms ‘Trinity of Chaos’ Alliance: Scattered LAPSUS$ Hunters Form EaaS Supergroup
securityonline.info
Open sourceScattered LAPSUS$ Hunters: Anatomy of a Federated Cybercriminal Brand
trustwave.com
Open sourceA Cybercrime Merger Like No Other — Scattered Spider, LAPSUS$, and ShinyHunters Join Forces
thehackernews.com
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Emergence and Operations of the Scattered LAPSUS$ Hunters Cybercrime Supergroup
A new cybercrime supergroup known as Scattered LAPSUS$ Hunters has emerged in 2025, combining the capabilities and tactics of three notorious threat actors: Scattered Spider, LAPSUS$, and ShinyHunters. This alliance marks a significant escalation in the threat landscape, as the group leverages a blend of social engineering, technical attacks, and public extortion to target high-value enterprise environments. The group is known for its multi-phase assaults, which often begin with sophisticated social engineering techniques such as phone-based vishing to gain initial access, particularly by targeting help desks and exploiting human vulnerabilities. Once inside, the attackers employ insider recruitment, source code theft, and large-scale data exfiltration, drawing on the distinct strengths of each constituent group. Scattered LAPSUS$ Hunters have focused their attacks on major SaaS platforms, including Salesforce, as well as enterprise applications from Oracle and SAP. Their victim list includes prominent organizations across retail, aviation, insurance, and automotive sectors, with named targets such as Home Depot, Marriott, the National Bank of Canada, and Tata Motors' Jaguar Land Rover. The group’s operations are characterized by unpredictability and a willingness to disrupt major businesses, often causing significant operational and reputational damage. Unlike traditional ransomware groups, Scattered LAPSUS$ Hunters do not limit themselves to endpoint infections and ransom demands; they also engage in ransoming stolen data and public extortion campaigns. The group’s members, reportedly including Western teenagers with substantial cryptocurrency holdings, operate with little regard for the consequences of their actions, further complicating law enforcement efforts. Their tactics reflect a shift from the previously dominant Russian ransomware model to a more chaotic, opportunistic approach. The group’s emergence from the cybercrime community known as The Com highlights the evolving nature of cybercriminal alliances and the increasing sophistication of their playbooks. Security experts have noted that the group’s attacks are not only technically advanced but also highly adaptive, making them particularly challenging to defend against. Organizations are advised to strengthen their social engineering defenses, monitor for insider threats, and enhance detection capabilities for unusual access patterns. The rise of Scattered LAPSUS$ Hunters underscores the need for a holistic security posture that addresses both technical and human vulnerabilities. Their activities in 2025 have set a new benchmark for the scale and impact of cybercrime supergroups, prompting urgent calls for improved cross-sector collaboration and intelligence sharing.
Mar 21, 2026
Scattered Lapsus$ Hunters Data Leaks and Threats Following Law Enforcement Action
The Scattered Lapsus$ Hunters (SLSH), a cybercrime collective formed from members of Scattered Spider, Lapsus$, and ShinyHunters, announced a temporary retreat from online activity after the FBI seized their clearweb site. The group, known for its Western and English-speaking membership, issued a series of aggressive messages on Telegram, vowing to retaliate against the FBI and promising a return in 2026. This announcement followed a period of heightened law enforcement scrutiny, including the arrest and charging of two teenagers in the UK for their alleged involvement in attacks attributed to Scattered Spider, a component of SLSH. The group has a history of dramatic exits and returns, having previously declared a hiatus only to reappear days later. SLSH has gained notoriety for targeting large organizations and for the scale of its operations. In parallel with their public threats, the group claimed responsibility for a massive data breach affecting 39 major companies worldwide, exploiting a Salesforce vulnerability to steal 989 million records. They demanded negotiations with Salesforce and the affected firms, threatening to release the data if ignored. When their demands were unmet, SLSH published data allegedly belonging to six companies, including Qantas Airways, Vietnam Airlines, Fujifilm, GAP Inc., Engie Resources, and Albertsons Companies. The leaked datasets reportedly contain extensive personally identifiable information (PII), such as full names, addresses, passport numbers, phone numbers, email addresses, and, in the case of Qantas, detailed frequent flyer information and internal business data. The Qantas dataset alone is said to be 153 GB and includes over 5 million records. The authenticity of the data has been partially verified by independent analysis, though only the affected companies can fully confirm the breach. The exposure of such sensitive information poses significant risks for identity theft, fraud, and targeted attacks against both individuals and organizations. The SLSH collective's actions have prompted calls for increased vigilance and improved cybersecurity measures among large enterprises, especially those using cloud-based platforms like Salesforce. Law enforcement agencies continue to investigate and pursue members of the group, while the cybersecurity community monitors for further developments and potential retaliatory actions promised by SLSH upon their return.
Mar 21, 2026
Scattered LAPSUS Hunters Insider Incident at CrowdStrike and Ransomware Developments
CrowdStrike confirmed that an insider was terminated after sharing screenshots of internal systems with the Scattered LAPSUS$ Hunters, a cybercrime collective comprising Scattered Spider, LAPSUS$, and ShinyHunters. The threat actors posted these screenshots on Telegram and claimed to have paid the insider $25,000 for access, including SSO authentication cookies, but CrowdStrike detected the activity and shut down access before any customer data was compromised. The company emphasized that its systems were not breached and that law enforcement has been notified. Meanwhile, the Scattered LAPSUS$ Hunters collective has escalated its operations, launching a new Telegram channel and increasing its public activity. The group, which has a history of social engineering and SaaS supply chain breaches, is also linked to the development of a new ransomware-as-a-service platform called ShinySp1d3r. This RaaS, created by ShinyHunters and Scattered Spider, is being built from scratch and features advanced capabilities, signaling a shift from using third-party ransomware to deploying their own tools in future attacks.
Mar 21, 2026